Framatome is a French nuclear reactor business. It is owned by Électricité de France , Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Assystem. The company first formed in 1958 to license Westinghouse'spressurized water reactor designs for use in France. Similar agreements had been put in place with other European countries, and this led to a 1962 contract for a complete plant at Chooz. Westinghouse sold its stake to engineering firm Creusot-Loire in 1976, and the company became solely French owned. In 2001, Siemens sold its reactor business to Framatome. As part of a larger series of mergers with Cogema and Technicatome, Framatome became the Areva NP division of the new Areva. It changed its name back to Framatome in 2018 after a major investment by utility operator EDF. While originally a licensing and construction business, today Framatome supplies the entire reactor life-cycle, including design of the European Pressurized Reactor, construction, fuel management and many related tasks.
History
Framatome was founded in 1958 by several companies of the French industrial giant Schneider Group along with Empain, Merlin Gérin, and the American Westinghouse, in order to license Westinghouse's pressurized water reactor technology and develop a bid for Chooz A. Called Franco-Américaine de Constructions Atomiques, the original company consisted of four engineers, one from each of the parent companies. The original mission of the company was to act as a nuclear engineering firm and to develop a nuclear power plant that was to be identical to Westinghouse's existing product specifications. The first European plant of Westinghouse design was by then already under construction in Italy. A formal contract was signed in September 1961 for Framatome to deliver a turnkey system, that is, not only the reactor, but an entire, ready-to-use system of piping, cabling, supports, and other auxiliary systems, propelling Framatome from a nuclear engineering firm to an industrial contractor. In January 1976, Westinghouse agreed to sell its remaining 15% share to Creusot-Loire, which now owned 66%, and to cede complete marketing independence to Framatome. In February, the Belgian Édouard-Jean Empain sold his 35% interest in Creusot-Loire to Paribas, a French government-linked banking group. A January 1982 company reorganization simultaneously strengthened French public and private control of the company by allowing Creusot-Loire to increase its share of the company while increasing CEA say in the running of the firm. In 2001, German company Siemens' nuclear business was merged into Framatome. Framatome and Siemens had been officially cooperating since 1989 for the development of the European Pressurized Reactor. In 2001, after a merger with the Cogema and Technicatome a nuclear conglomerate Areva was formed and Framatome became Areva NP. In 2007, Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries created a joint venture named Atmea. In 2009, Areva NP acquired 30% stake in the Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel company. In 2009, Siemens sold its remaining shares in Areva NP. In 2018, after restructuring of Areva, Areva NP was sold to Électricité de France. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Assystem became also shareholders. As a result of the restructuring, Électricité de France and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries became equal shareholders of Atmea with 50% of shares both while Framatome owns a special share in Atmea.
